A southwest Missouri woman hopes her deeply personal decision to get a divorce will open the door for other couples to end their relationships in a state that doesn’t recognize gay marriage.

Mary Hilsabeck married Lynette Meng in Iowa in 2009 but the two were no longer in love and had been separated for two years. Hilsabeck, a Springfield resident who works for the federal government, was repeatedly told there was nothing she could do to end the marriage in Missouri.

The Springfield News-Leader reports her lawyer felt Hilsabeck was put into an impossible situation, but they decided to file for divorce in Greene County to see what would happen. Judge Mark Powell granted to divorce April 1, and the deadline to appeal the case passed last week.